Hold Me Tonight
by Thanatos God of the Dead
Summary: A case brings Hotch & Reid to board together. Reid's pulled into sanctuary from an abusive boyfriend. Hotch's brought to see his desire to protect & possess the doctor. However when the case takes a turn for the worse, will he be able to protect him?
1. Chapter 1

**I know, I know. This is not what is next on my requests list (not even part of the same fandom), but hear me out before you all start freaking on me!**

**The person who requested this story, she's a pretty good friend of mine, and I just found out she's in hospital. So this is for her, and if you've ever read Prince of Tennis fanfiction- or know someone who does or has- you should- or let them know to- give her a 'get well soon.' If not for her, than me?**

**This is for Akira Yama and our new favorite pairing.  
Although I think its been new for awhile...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds... hell if I did... Spencer would be mine!**

* * *

The sounds of the morning run had become dull to him after so many years of seeing and hearing it. Not dull as in boring beyond belief, but dull as in he had gotten _so_ used to it. He had gotten used to it as an agent and special agent and now he had gotten used to it as Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. He had experienced it first hand in his younger days in first person. Now he experienced it as he watched from his office window, hot coffee in his hand.

The hum that rose from the bull pen may not have excited him, but one voice was able to jolt him out of his morning daydream with a side of coffee. It was a deep and loud voice; Special Agent Derik Morgan's voice. However, it was not his voice nor himself that sparked excitement in their fearless leader, but what he said every single morning. "Hey there, Pretty Boy Genius."

Hotch's eyes fell on the boy in question as he walked into the pen. Tall, lean to the point of almost lanky, with messy brown locks and beautiful, bright brown eyes. He had his usual messenger bag, wore his usual purple scarf. It refreshed Hotch to see the brilliant boy. The one thing that brightened his day even more than his daily coffee.

"Hi." Dr. Spencer Reid said quietly, waving at Morgan and taking his desk to begin another day of work.

Hotch turned away from the window and took a deep breath, looking down at the pile of paper work on his desk. The shy smile, and small wave was fresh in his mind. That image would be enough to get him through the day.

* * *

A soft knock brought Hotch off his autopilot run through of old case files. He blinked up and saw Reid standing at his door with a stack of files in his arms. "Enter."

Reid, with a little struggle, opened the door and entered, closing it behind him. "Hotch, these need your look over." He said, as he walked over to the desk and set them down. "JJ says there's a new case to be looked at. Ten minutes to the round table." He informed smiling. There was something in the smile. Something saddening.

"Thank you." Hotch said, trying to hide his examination of his subordinate. "It something wrong?" He asked, not changing his voice. Reid wouldn't want any signs of pity I any sort of situation.

Hesitation. Hotch caught it. Any one with a quarter of a brain would have. After the brief hesitation, Reid shook his head with a quiet, "No, not at all." Then he was gone. A little faster than necessary, but he left, closing the door quickly behind him.

Hotch decided not to pursue, but knew if anything, he'd have to let Reid no that he was a horrible liar.

* * *

"How's everyone feel about Alaska?" JJ asked as she walked in. Everyone was already sitting together at the round table in the briefing room. As the door opened to the blonde, silence reached the room. She clicked her remote for the monitor and gruesome shots of dismembered and eviscerated bodies filled the screens, along with the original identities of the unrecognizable bodies in the form of collected photos.

"It's the closest US state to Canada in climate, culture, and geography." Reid piped up. There was a brief pause when everyone glanced at him all savoring the moment of pure amazement. They should have been used to his extensive knowledge; after all, how long had they all worked together? However, there were times where they still couldn't believe it, however it was even more rare that he seemed to slouch in his chair and look down at the table like he had done something horrible.

"Well, these are the first three victim's of a serial killer from the last two months." JJ continued after the short moment of silence, flipping through each individual's picture.

"How many are there total?" Morgan asked, trying not to grimace at the extensive blood that filled the screen. He was used to it, but this was the worse they had seen in, well, at least months.

"About 7, as of last night."

"Why are they now just contacting us?" Hotch asked, looking up at JJ, not the screen. He had seen all he needed to. The victims all had brown or blonde hair. They were all well off men, job wise and wealth wise, seeing the brief descriptions beside their pictures. All were very good looking, and all had bright brown eyes. They were pale and lean and, in each picture, smiling brightly and happily. In some of the photos, there was another man kissing their cheeks or hugging them around the waist or shoulders.

Hotch felt something hit the pit of his stomach. He had a bad feeling about the victimology.

"Well, the victim's were all found in the woods, so the mutilations were first believed to be animal maulings, but they realized the connections between who the people were. They're all gay men, in committed relationships of at least five years. They don't look similar except for the brown eyes and each was either blonde or brunette." JJ explained. "Turns out the last three didn't spend much time in the woods, which was the majour tip off."

"The law enforcement has invited us?" Hotch asked, closing the file before him. He was ready to nail this bastard.

"Yes sir, the chief officer in charge of the case invited us this morning." JJ informed, closing her file. She knew Hotch was ready to go; his decision made.

"Alright team. Everyone be in the jet in half an hour."

* * *

Hotch grabbed his go bag and shut his locker. He made sure he had everything he needed. So far it looked like he did. If anything, he would have to get something like shampoo or toothpaste.

He swung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door, but was stop by the sound of a soft sniffle. "Please, I-I d-." _That sounds a lot like Reid, _Hotch thought as he peered around the lockers to see Reid sitting on the bench, his cell phone to his ear. He wiped his eyes and continued, "Yes, I said that, but I didn't know I was going on a c-. Please, I'm sorry." Silence. Reid sniffled and nodded. "Yes, sir."

He hung up his phone and held his head in his hands, his hair curtaining his face. Hotch hesitated, debating whether to see if he was alright. They were going to a case. If anything he could see if Reid was fit for it.

It was not because of some inner torrent of emotions running through him. _Whose hurting Reid? Whose making him cry?_

"Hey, Reid?" He called, revealing himself and moving over to where Reid sat. "Are you okay?"

Reid froze, his body going rigid at the sound of the other man's voice. He looked up at the man sitting beside him. He forced a smile and nodded. "I'm fine, Hotch," he assured, pretending to be stronger than he really felt.

"Are you sure? If you want to take a break-."

"No!" Reid shook his head as he nearly shouted the word, looking desperately into Hotch's eyes as if forcing his superior to believe he was okay. "No, I would much rather go on the case. Please, Hotch. Don't make me stay here."

"Reid, what's wrong?"

* * *

**Chapter 1- End**

**TBC**

**Akira, hope you like it so far! Get well soon, love!**

**Hope everyone else liked it too.**

**New chapter up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the new chapter!**

**You probably don't care, but you want to know the most difficult part of writing this chapter? I was watching Diary of a Mad Black Woman whilst writing and guess whose in it... Shemar Moore or as we know him Derrik Morgan... I couldn't stop laughing while I was writing this which was hard because there's a lot of sad stuff in this chapter.**

**Anyways, enough about me, onto the show!**

* * *

Reid knew he looked pained as he tried to force a smile for the other man. He hated the idea of lying to him. Not because Hotch was his boss and superior and he had great respect for him, but because he trusted the older man and wanted to believe it was a mutual trust. If he lied to him, then it would shatter, but he could not tell him the truth. At least not now. Not yet. "It's nothing, Hotch."

* * *

The plane ride was dedicated to the mental preparation for their case. They all were quickly re-briefed on the details and went to reading the files and autopsy reports. It was a tedious task, but it was necessary and, for such a long flight, something to do. However, to their fearless leader, it was a more tedious task than usual. His mind was miles back at Quantico, where he and Reid had sat together and he learned that his subordinate was going through something horrifying enough to make him lie to Hotch's face.

Hotch chewed on his lower lip, surprisingly it looked more like he was concentrating on the autopsy report of a Mark Delrouse instead of wondering who was on the other end of Reid's cell phone.

Was it concern or jealousy that tore Aaron Hotchner away from work? He himself didn't even know.

"Hotch?" He looked up at Reid as the boy stood above him, a file in his hand. His eyes shined so expressively that Hotch could see the hidden apology trying to battle to the vocal section of the genius's brain. However, no matter how bad Reid felt about lying to Hotch, they both had a sense that the apology would have to wait until later. "Are you finished with that report? I've read all the others-."

"Here," Hotch offered, a little smile on his lips. He wanted Reid to know that there were no hard feelings. Reid took the file and handed him his own and offered a small smile in return.

"Hey, G-Man, what's up with your arm?" Hotch had been too busy looking up into Reid's brown eyes to see the cuff of his sleeve pulling back to reveal discoloration on his wrist. A deep bruise from someone grabbing his wrists, or some other form of restraints. They were deep enough in color for Morgan to have noticed from the other side of the table Hotch and him were sitting at.

Reid flushed and pulled back his arm, pushing his sleeves down. "I don't know." He said tersely and made his way back to his seat, burying his face into the file to signal he did not want further conversation.

Unfortunately, the seed had been planted. Hotch was not going to let this matter go away. Especially, not after that morning.

* * *

"Welcome, welcome!" The man that greeted them off the plane was heavy set, but tall, almost six foot. He was not fat, but not fit either. A small town sheriff sorta look to him. His dark hair was graying, his face worn. He smiled warmly as the agents stepped out of the jet, dressed for the Alaskan climate. "Welcome to Mountain Village, AK. I'm Officer Clark David, I'm the one who brought you all to the middle of no where."

"It's a pleasure." Hotch greeted, smiling, shaking the man's hand. "I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, and this is-." He introduced everyone and as always they shook hands except Reid who offered his small wave. "We're ready to get to work."

"I'd like that, too, but hospitality dictates that you settle in first. We don't have much in the way of hotels, but we got you a place, don't you worry." He promised, leading the way towards snow chained, black SUVs parked right on the terminal. They followed and allowed themselves to be driven down through the town of one police station, a post office, a general store, a clothing depot, two restaurants, and one bar. They drove out of town to a cluster of six large cabins, three of which had smoke already pouring out of the chimneys.

"Welcome." The officer said jovially as he stepped out and waited for the agents to surround him. "You all have Cabins One, Three, and Five warmed and waiting for you all. Cabin Two and Four are in need of some maintenance, hence the odd numbering," he explained as he handed Hotch six keys to the Cabins. "I'll let you settle in and we'll head for the station?"

"Thank you." Hotch nodded offering his polite smile. Officer David tipped his hat and went back to one of the other officers that had driven with them. Hotch turned to his team. "Alright, Garcia and Morgan you can have Cabin One. Behave like adults." He said, handing Morgan the keys as Garcia thought, _define adults._ Hotch suppressed a groan as he realized his mistake, seeing it in the techie's mischievous smile.

"Prentiss and Emily, you have Cabin Three," he handed them each a key. _Poor Rossi,_ he thought commenting how well it worked out that the senior agent had gotten caught up back at Quantico for "disorderly conduct." Fraternization rules were created because of him and ignored by him.

"That leaves you and me Reid." Hotch nodded, handing the agent his key and heading for their Cabin. Reid followed immediately, described later behind closed doors by Morgan to Garcia as, "like a puppy-dog."

As Reid had guessed, to his horror, Hotch had set this up immediately after finding out they were going to have multiple cabins. The young agent had a strong feeling that Hotch was going to have a sit down with him about the phone call and his abused wrists.

* * *

Reid finished unpacking to its extent. He couldn't help glancing at Hotch as the older man did the same. They soon finished setting into their home for the next couple of days and looked around, becoming acquainted with it. The bedroom was the largest room with a deck that led to the back of the Cabin that looked over a lake behind the lodging site. The water was crystal clear and sparkled in the afternoon light and reflected the forest on the other side of it. The cabin itself was like the frontier log cabin on the outside, but well furnished on the inside.

A large stone fireplace was blazing a bright fire, the heat circulating around the Cabin's rooms. The furniture was rustic looking, made of smoothed white oak with dark cushions. There was a hand woven carpet before the fireplace and in the middle of the kitchen. The kitchen was newly renovated, it seemed. Stainless steel appliances and sanded oak cabinets with silver handles held dishes and cookware. A breakfast island connecting with the counter separated the kitchen with the living area. French doors opened to the only bedroom with one king-sized bed. The bedroom furnished just like the living room with burgundy sheets. It gave a cozy, cottage-home feel.

Reid wished in his heart he could enjoy the sweet place with Hotch near by. However, his head was filled with, not only their case, but, for once, his own private life. He felt like a bear ensnared in a trap trying to figure a way to freedom when he didn't have opposable thumbs. His head hurt as he tried to think about the case and his relationship problems at once. He knew it was impossible, but he needed to figure them both out as soon as possible.

"Reid?" The sweet, deep voice that broke through his numbing headache was the most wonderful sound he had heard in so long. Hotch's voice and presence always made him feel better even during the darkest of times. Right now he needed more than just the idea of being close to him, but it would have to do… at least until they returned to Virginia. He took a deep breath to hide his inner conflict and turned to see Hotch standing right behind him. "Let's head out."

Reid nodded in agreement, following Hotch out of their Cabin. He felt strangely content and safe being right behind Hotch. He knew he would follow Hotch anywhere he was asked to.

* * *

They entered the station, a small little place. It was explained to have been the post office centuries ago and the smaller building beside it had been the police station, but as the population grew and more law enforcement was needed the switch had been made a century prior. The building was small, but not nearly as small as the cube of a post office.

The walls were painted a warm cream color. Gray dividers separated a small waiting area, complete with a receptionist. Beyond the waiting area was a larger cluster of desks and officers. Three doors, one near the dividers, was for the break room, furnished with a wall of counter and a refrigerator. Cabinets above the refrigerator held snacks and coffee. Two others were the chief's, Clark David's, office and a conference room.

"Hey Clark, these the agents?" The receptionist, sitting at her neat and glossy wooden desk, asked as the team walked in. She was an older woman, around her fifties, maybe, and had a kind smile.

"Yea, Deb, they've come to lend a hand, anymore of your coffee cookies left?" He asked as they walked by.

She laughed and nodded. "Yes, I made enough for twice this station. Make sure you give that skinny boy most of them. He looks starved." She said nodding towards Reid. The attention made him blush bright red and he bent his face down as the walked into the bustling station. People were on phones and working on, what looked like, the case the BAU was sent for.

"You all will have the conference room, is that all right? Jake's getting you set up now." Clark explained as he led the way to the back of the room. He opened the door to a room with a round table, two white boards, chairs, and case boxes and files. A made with short dark hair, bright green eyes and solemn expression was putting down the last box.

"Hey Jake, FBI's here."

The man looked up and gave a nod. "Hope they catch this asshole." He said, his voice level. He made his way out of the room and towards his desk nearby.

Clark made a soft tsk-ing noise and shook his head. "He looks familiar," Hotch commented, his eyes still on Jake's head.

"Well, you might have seen his picture in the files we faxed you." Clark explained, bring the teams attention back to him. "He's the second victim's boyfriend. They were supposed to leave for Canada today for their wedding this weekend." He finished, looking sympathetically towards his officer.

"Oh, well we're sorry to hear that." Hotch said, meaning it. He knew what it was like to loose a spouse. A fiancée was close enough in his book.

"Yes, he insisted on continuing with work. What a trooper." Clark sighed, silencing himself for a few seconds. He clapped and looked up. "Well, I'll leave you to your work, anything you want, just ask. You have a full cooperation."

"Thank you. We'd like to have a word with some of the recent victim's families. And Jake if he's up for it." The officer nodded, listening closely. Hotch turned to Morgan, "You and Prentiss, I want you two to go have a word with Dennis Jones's boyfriend." He turned to JJ and Clark. "Do you two think you can speak with Mark Delrouse's family?" They gave a nod.

"I'll start on the geographical profile," Reid piped in, moving towards one of the white boards, away from the group. Hotch nodded and watched his team leave. He then took it upon himself the talk with Jake.

* * *

"Excuse me?"

The officer sat, his head in his hands, pen scribbling a continuous circle on the report he had been looking at. It had been drawn for a while, darkened considerably. He stopped and looked up at the FBI agent. "Can I help you, sir?"

Hotch looked down and saw the dark circles under the officer's youthful eyes. There was a hardness in the man's eyes that Hotch recognized well. The defense of sleepless, saddening nights. Of bad dreams and crushing pain. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Hotch asked, sitting down in the chair beside Jake's desk.

"Sure." He said with a small shrug, his voice sounding as physically and emotionally exhausted as the man looked. "Is this about Kyle?"

Kyle Rossen, the second man found, had been twenty-eight. A bright young man returning all the way from George Washington University in Washington DC after obtaining his doctorate in English a couple of years prior. He was a professor of English at the University of Alaska and had been on his teaching break when he was murdered. He had been tall and lean and one of the brunette victim's. "Yes, it is. Can you tell me about his daily routine?"

Jake looked up at Hotch and took a deep breath, controlling his raging emotions. "He was a very devoted man. Devoted teacher, devoted lover…. He loved his job and woke up early in the morning to get ready for the day as thoroughly as possible. He stayed in his office late and worked himself to the bone for his students. He spent his free time with me or shopping or reading. He was devoted."

Hotch nodded and glanced at Reid as the agent unfolded a map of Alaska and set to work on pinning the crime scenes on it. Hotch could understand the young officer's respect for devotion. "How often did you get to see him?"

"Every weekend. I'd go see him if I could get away, but normally he drove up here to see me." Jake explained, his eyes beginning to shine. "There were weekends neither of us could get away from work, very few, but there were still some weekends. He came to see me every break the school got. Whenever we could."

"Did he like the outdoors?" Hotch asked, seeing the officer was about to lose it. Tears seemed to try and break through his eyes. "Was there any reason for him to be outdoors?"

Jake laughed a little at the question. "Besides our hot tub, plane, and our boat, no. He hated camping. He was from New York and he moved here after a visit with his sister. He never got into the outdoors part of being an Alaskan." He looked down and seemed to emit an aura that said he wanted to stop the questions, but Hotch, as sympathetic as he was to him, couldn't do that.

"I know this is hard, but do you think he could have been having an affair?"

"No!" Jake said looking horrified. "He was devoted to me. He would never do something like that. I know a lot of men can be disloyal, but he was not one of them."

"Okay, thank you." Hotch tried to remember his other question, but Reid appeared at his shoulder hesitant, but looking eager. "Yes?"

"I found something."

* * *

They walked into their make shift office and Hotch caught the perfect circle of pins on the map and wondered why Reid had left his pins like that. Then he recognized the area the circle as the location of the crime scenes. Reid took his place at the map and his lips began to quiver, his hands dancing in the air as he excitedly explained, "Each body was dumped in accordance to a perfect circle. All except one."

"One?" Hotch echoed, seeing that there were only six pins in the map instead of seven.

Reid nodded eagerly. "Yes, Justin Kingsleigh," He continued, displaying another pin he had been holding in his hand. He pricked it into the map, dead center of the circle. "The very first victim."

Justin Kingsleigh was indeed the first victim, and had had, before having his head ripped from his body, beautiful golden blonde hair. He had been the smallest framed of all the victim's, having suffered from malnutrition as a child and an abusive relationship with his parents. He had been the most mutilated of all the victims, barely anything left to identify him.

Hotch examined the pins. "It almost seems like-."

"The killer wants to emphasize the first killing. Like he takes some sort of pride in it." Reid finished, his eyes dancing with excitement. Hotch was happy to see him so happy once again. "I had read the files and realized they were all in the same forest, but wondered, not why the same one, but why this specific forest. It's more populated than the others around here and seemed a risky pick. What was left of the bodies was left out in the open.

At first I thought it was because he wanted it to seem like the murder's had been animal attacks, but after seeing this," he pointed to the map, "I see that he's bragging about it. Well not _bragging_, but he wants everyone to see it. There's a message behind it."

Hotch looked at the map and looked down into one of the files. He looked back at the map and then at Reid, seeing the refreshing determined light in his bright brown eyes. "Good job, Reid. I think we can start working on the profile now."

* * *

JJ and Clark walked into the Rouser, one of the restaurants on main street, just across from the Police station. It was deserted at that time of day, but a slim girl in a black dress waited at the hostess stand. "Hello, how may I help you today Clark?" She asked, smiling brightly at them. She was in her twenties, had long black hair and dark blue eyes.

"We're looking for Todd. Is he working today?" Clark asked, glancing around the empty, café style place.

"Yup, in his office." She pointed to the door on the other end of the place. Clark led JJ towards it and knocked. A gleaming gold sign shined on the door saying, Manager.

After Clark knocked, a subdued, "It's open," came in reply. Clark opened the door and let JJ in and let it fall shut. "Hey, Clark." The man was dressed in black trousers, black shoes and a black polo. He looked aged from the passed few days. He looked utterly depressed and JJ felt a twinge of pity for him.

"Hey, Todd." Clark greeted gently. "This is JJ, she's with the FBI and we were wondering if you were up for a few questions."

The man took a deep breath and nodded. "I think I can do that much." JJ looked around the office as the men exchanged niceties. It was neat with mahogany shelving on the right wall, a matching desk and chair set. One chair was before the organized desk, the other on the left side, next to a couch. The upholstery was burgundy leather. The man took his desk chair. On the desk was a Mac, a phone, the man's cell phone, and a framed 8x10 picture of him and the victim. Todd had his arms wrapped around Mark's waist while Mark kissed Todd on the cheek. JJ recognized it as one of the file pictures.

"You've done well with the place." Clark commented. It was not Todd's restaurant, but Mark's. Or at least, it had been. Now it was Todd's by inheritance.

"Thanks." He said smiling weakly.

JJ offered her motherly smile. "Are you sure you're up for questions?"

"Yes, anything to help catch Mark's killer." He said, his voice straining with the last two words.

"Did Mark have a sudden change from his daily routine? Something unusual? Something that seemed out of place for him?" JJ asked, sitting down in the chair opposite the other man.

Todd shook his head. "No," he said. "Nothing strange, really. The night before he disappeared he had gone out with some friends. Sorta like his bachelor party." He looked down at the picture sheepishly, touching the frame. "We were going to have a commitment ceremony, well, tomorrow, actually. Here and then we were going to go on a, sort of, honeymoon after to Hawaii."

"I'm very sorry." JJ offered. Todd nodded tersely and sighed. "Who was at this party?" Todd told her the names of three other men and two girls. "Where?" He named the bar just down the street.

"I feel so stupid." Todd confessed, bring his face into his hands. "We had argued before he went to his party. It was about something so ridiculous. He wanted to move to Washington after we were made official. I wasn't up for it, but he was insistent. We fought about it and he left saying I love you. He was being sarcastic about it, but now I wish I'd at least said a sarcastic 'I love you too' back at him. Now he's dead." He shook as he suppressed a sob.

JJ stood up and patted the man's shoulder as he cried. Clark sat there unsure of how to react. He decided to let JJ handle the situation and stayed in his seat on the couch. "I'm sorry." Todd gasped after a few minutes. "I'm just a complete and utter mess right."

JJ offered he usual smile and whispered gently, "It's completely understandable." She whispered, rubbing Todd's back. He thanked her and she thanked him for answering what he could. She left her card saying, "If you can think of anything more, just give us a call."

* * *

Morgan steered into the drive to a large estate set back into the woods. He parked their SUV in the drive beside two other's before a large mansion. He looked at Prentiss who nodded. They were thinking the same thing. They both recalled what JJ had said about being well off, wealth wise.

They got out and walked up to the door, and were met by a large tiger cat with unusual markings. He meowed softly and wrapped around Morgan's leg as he knocked. The door opened to a short, young, twenty-something man, thin with long black and red hair pulled back. He was sloppily dress in a sweatshirt and shorts, both black. He looked Japanese, which took Prentiss and Morgan by surprise. "Mr. Jones?"

He smiled sadly and nodded. "Technically, in here I'm still Mr. Hisei, but in Japan, Canada, and Vermont I'm Mr. Jones." He offered. He bent down and picked up the cat, cradling him in his arms. "How may I help you?"

"I'm agent Prentiss, this is Agent Morgan, we're with the FBI." She said, pulling out her badge as Morgan pulled out his. "We'd like to ask you about Dennis's murder."

The man stood, his form going rigid. His lip quivered and he burst into tears, hugging the cat tightly, burying his face into his fur. Morgan glanced at Prentiss, both knowing they had found the victim's husband. He composed himself enough to step back and let them inside. "Come in, come in. I'll answer whatever I can."

* * *

"Alright, JJ," Hotch said as he watched Reid move around the room, looking from file to file, gathering information in his memory bank to form a profile. It was amusing. "Okay, when you finish, come straight back here. Reid and I are starting with it now. What you gather could change some details."

He said goodbye and shut his phone looking up at Reid, who had stopped his information seeking to look up at him. "What's JJ doing?" He asked, sliding into a chair finally, looking exhausted.

"She found out that Mark Delrouse had gone out with friends the night he disappeared. She's gone to ask some of them questions." Hotch informed leaning back and looking at his agent thoughtfully. "So what do you have?"

Reid's eyes lit up once again, sending a delighted smile in Hotch's eyes. It was good to see he wasn't as scared or depressed as he'd been back at Quantico. "Well, our unsubs male, tall, and heavier set than his victim's, judging by the unknown footprints found a some of the crime scenes. Judging by the time of death, or what we could get from the remains, he kills them at night, between ten and midnight. There's no signs of sexual assault, but there wasn't enough left to tell for sure. He's arrogant about what he's done, and has a message to go along with his kills. Each of the victims was reported missing after they had gone out at night for some event or on the weekends, suggesting he works during the day." Reid sat back and took a deep breath and looked at Hotch, his brown eyes widening, like a puppy that believes he performed a trick perfectly.

"Good job, Reid." Hotch offered, making a small smile appear sheepishly on Reid's face. "That's very good so far. We'll just need what the other's get to make it official." Reid nodded and slouched in his chair, closing his eyes. He really did look exhausted. "You wanna head to the Cabin? I can tell them the profile if you want."

Reid blinked up at him for a moment, debating whether or not he wanted to. He knew he was about to fall asleep, but he was hesitant to be away from Hotch. He finally shook his head. "I'll wait until your finished." He said, standing up. "But I think I'll get some coffee. Want some?"

"That sounds good, thanks." Hotch said, watching Reid carefully as he walked around the table and to the door. "Reid, hold on."

Reid froze mid-step and lowered his leg, feeling apprehension take over. It was what he had feared. He knew Hotch wanted to talk about what happened in Virginia and what happened on the plane, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. Or during their working hours. "Yes, Hotch?"

"You've done good work today. Don't push yourself too hard."

Reid felt his heart skip a beat and his cheeks heat up. It was rare to get something like that from Hotch. He nodded, "Thanks Hotch." He squeaked and hurried from the room.

Hotch leaned back, smiling to himself. He knew he had taken the genius off guard, if only briefly. He also knew that Reid had been expecting him to mention the phone call and/or his bruised wrists. No, Hotch decided that was a matter that had to wait for later. When he and the younger man were alone in their Cabin.

* * *

**Chapter 2- End**

**TBC**

**Well, now we're getting into the Crime part of this fic.**

**Told you it was hard laughing and writing sad!**

**ANYHOW, nothing new on Akira's condition, but this fic will be updated ASAP.**

**Arivadurchi!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Two chapters in one day *sees it's 1:46AM* er, well two days.**

**Well... I'm still on a roll!**

**WARNING: RATING CHANGE  
Just a few things in this chapter, you'll see. Nothing really big, though. Just some stuff, but from here one out it's going to get more mature.**

* * *

From what JJ had gotten, a man had tried to pick up Mark in the bar he and his friends had gone to. Though the guy was persistent, Mark was insistent upon being left alone. He had said something to Mark that made him get up and leave. He told his friends he had to see Todd. According to another quick talk with Todd, Mark never made it home.

From what they got out of Howie, Dennis's semi-legal husband, Dennis had gone out with his brother for dinner. They went to the bar for a nightcap, and Dennis was approached by a man who tried to flirt with him. Dennis was polite enough, but finally he left, saying he had to get home to his husband. Again, he never made it home. Of course there had been some translating involved to get this much because Howie kept bursting into tears and sobs and started speaking in a mixture of broken Japanese and English.

The team finished their profile, which needed very little tweaking from what Reid and Hotch came up with. As soon as they delivered it to the officers in the station, JJ was sent to the local TV stations and newspapers to offer their message. The rest of the team met in Hotch and Reid's Cabin to review the days work and wait for JJ.

There was a knock on the door around nine 'o' clock and Prentiss let in JJ. She walked in with, "The local news station and paper's have their profiles." She announced taking a seat next to Morgan on the couch as Hotch tossed in another log.

"Well, I think that's all we can do for now." Morgan said, looking up at Hotch who nodded.

"Everyone, get some rest. We'll meet outside at 7 tomorrow morning." He informed. There was short hum of agreement. All except one. There was a collective glance towards the left chair. Soft snuffling made them all smile as they saw the youngest member curled up and sound asleep in his chair, hair covering his face.

Hotch felt a fluttering in his stomach, lightening his heart at the sight of seeing him sleep so. Morgan laughed and shook his head. He stood up and left first, followed by the others. Garcia had her tech lab hooked up in her and Morgan's Cabin, as he explained, and he was worried she was trying to get 24 hours of work in that day. Hotch nodded them off, unable to take his eyes off Reid's sleeping form.

JJ was the last to leave. She glanced back at Hotch and Reid and turned back. "Sir," she called, finally pulling Hotch's attention from Reid. "May I say something next to offensive, and beyond protocol?"

"Depending on what it is."

JJ smiled her motherly smile and looked at Reid. "I'm sure you've noticed, he's not been the same in awhile. Right now, he needs you. He won't admit it, but he needs you." Before Hotch could stop her or ask for elaboration she added, "He trusts you above all of us. And if I'm not mistaken I think you might need him too."

Hotch raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled, raising her hands. "Good night, sir." She left before he could reprimand her or tell her thank you.

He sighed and went back to looking at Reid as the boy brought himself into a tighter ball. He smiled to himself and stepped closer. He brushed some strands of Reid's hair from his face and saw the soft lips slightly parted as he breathed. His eyes closed. _He's beautiful_. He slid his hand down to Reid's shoulder, his hand catching Reid's scarf, slipping it away from his neck. Hotch froze.

Was it the lighting or…. Hotch felt an abrupt rage wave through him as he realized he was staring at finger shaped bruises on Reid's neck. He took a deep breath and dropped the scarf. He sighed and calmed himself down, knowing it was now or never.

Hotch gently shook Reid. "Reid, wake up." He said, not raising his voice, but not lowering it either. "Reid, come on. Wake up." Reid murmured in coherently, but it sounded strangely like, "I was good. I didn't do anything wrong."

His eyes fluttered open and he slowly uncurled himself yawning. He stretched and rubbed away the grogginess in his eyes. He sat up and stretched out his back and looked up at Hotch and recognized the serious expression. Reid froze and touched his neck, realizing his scarf wasn't hiding the marks from his strangulation. "Hi, Hotch." He attempted, looking up at him innocently. "Is it time for bed?"

"Reid, what is the meaning of this?"

The young man didn't need to be a genius to figure out what he meant. He bit his lip and looked down, letting his hair hide his face. He took the scarf from his shoulder and wrung it in his hands, shrugging. "No, Reid." Hotch said, kneeling down before the man, trying to look into Reid's face. He was not yelling and he tried to keep his anger in check so he didn't sound harsh. "Don't shrug this off." He said gently, taking Reid's right hand and pushing up his sleeves to reveal bruises. The young man flinched, but he didn't pull away. "What's going on?"

Reid looked up into Hotch's face. His usual stoic expression had melted away to one of worry and concern. Reid lost the will to speak. It had been so long since such a look had been given to him. He rubbed his cheek with his sleeve and opened his mouth to speak. No words would come out. He took in a deep shaken breath and let out a soft, "I can't tell you."

Hotch felt a pang of hurt at those words. JJ's words had been stuck in his head. _He trusts you above all of us._ Well, maybe not. "Why not, Reid?" He asked gently.

Reid looked into Hotch's dark eyes and saw an intensity that melted all his resolve. Melted away all his barriers he had put up to block his outflow of pain. He felt his eyes burn, but he tried his best not to let his tears fall. "I-I can't, Hotch. I've no where else to go. He's taken my apartment from me and I've no where else." Reid sniffled, hiding his face behind his hands. "He'll throw me out if he finds out I told anyone. I've tried finding another place, but they're either too close to him, too far away from the bureau, or too expensive. I'm stuck."

It was obvious that Reid was talking about a boyfriend, one that had gone horribly wrong. However, after that Hotch was confused. "Who Reid? Start from the beginning."

Reid wiped his eyes and looked at Hotch's kind expression. It was Reid's greatest undoing. As soon as he opened his mouth, the whole story flooded from it without any control. "I met this guy. You probably know him. He's a prosecution lawyer. His name's Jonathan Corley. I met him after a case and he asked me to dinner and it stemmed off from there. We've been together almost five months. I thought I had finally found someone, Hotch." The older agent saw a hidden twinkle behind the tears that fell from Reid's eyes.

Hotch had to take a deep breath to keep from punching someone. He knew well that Jonathan Corley was one of the most ruthless lawyers to ever practice law. Unfortunately that didn't just mean in the courtroom. He was persistent and picked up whoever would let themselves be picked up, man or woman. There were rumours of domestic violence charges against him, but they never seemed to have stuck. He looked up at Reid and saw the boy really had fallen for the sleaze.

"I'd heard he was charged with abuse, but he told me they were exes trying to get his money. He actually outsmarted me, Hotch! I believed him! Every word he told me, I believed it all." Reid sobbed and clawed his hair, sniffing. "I just wanted to believe that there was someone that actually wanted me. Someone who wanted to be with me," he sobbed. Hotch knew Reid felt stupid, but believe he wasn't. He reach up his hand to touch Reid's shoulder. Anyone, even a man with an IQ of 187, being offered care and trust would want to believe the person offering it, no matter what.

"A couple a months ago he changed. He started getting really controlling. He invaded my apartment and he was able to trick the landlord into _legally _giving him the title to it. He started hitting me and verbally abusing me and he- he-."

"What did he do, Reid?" Hotch asked gently, squeezing Reid's shoulder. The boy winced.

"He's been making me have sex with him. He'll pin my wrists behind my back," he lifted his right arm with his bruised wrist out in the open. "Or he'd handcuff me to the bed. If I begged him to stop or tried to scream he'd strangle me." Reid sobbed, and cried into his hands.

Hotch stood up and wrapped his arms around Reid's shaken form. Reid clawed into the back of Hotch's shirt, clinging to the comfort his hold gave him. He let his tears fall. He let his sobs escape. He let the pain come out, breaking down completely. "Hotch, I don't know what I'm gonna do." He sobbed, burying his face into Hotch's neck.

"Shh, R-Spencer, it's okay." Hotch whispered, rubbing the slighter man's back. "You're safe now. You're far away from him and when we get back I'm gonna help you get away from him. You can come stay with me, okay?" Hotch offered, stroking Reid's hair.

"Hotch-." Reid attempted and tried to look up at him, his eyes shining in his tear strained face. "I-I don't know."

Hotch ruffled his hair and smiled gently at him. "I'll protect you." He promised, rubbing Reid's back tenderly. "Come stay with me."

Reid smiled weakly. "Okay, Hotch." He breathed deeply and nearly collapsed into Hotch's arms. The senior agent caught him and held him close, his arms supporting the, surprisingly light, weight on the younger agent as they wrapped around his waist. "Wow, I'm so tired." Reid laughed softly and looked up at Hotch, their eyes meeting. The man had to agree. Reid looked exhausted. "I've never been so emotional before. It's tiring."

Hotch smiled and put a supportive arm around Reid's shoulders, bringing him into their bedroom and sat him down on the bed. Reid watched him as he went into the bathroom. He heard water running and Hotch returned with a wet wash cloth in his hands. He sat beside Reid and began cleaning up his face.

Reid sat still, letting Hotch clean him up. Hotch smiled when he finished and whispered gently, "There. Get some sleep, okay? You look like you really need it. I'll wake you up in the morning for a shower."

Reid smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Hotch. For everything."

* * *

Hotch cut the stream of water off and stretched. He stepped out of the shower and silently pulled on his boxers and brushed his teeth. He ran the towel over his short dark hair and hung the towel on the hook on the back of the door. He cut the light off and peered into the dark bedroom, waiting for his eyes to adjust. When they did he saw the familiar form of Reid's sleeping body beneath the covers on the farther side of the bed.

He smiled to himself and crawled into the bed beside Reid, staring at the back of his brunette head. He pulled the covers over them and reached up, stroking Reid's hair. A soft mew sounded from the young man's voice. Hotch felt the bed shift as Reid turned around, bringing himself closer to the him.

"Hotch?" His voice was so soft as he called. His eyes were lidded, barely open from being tired.

"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you." Hotch apologized softly.

"No, I wanted to apologize for lying to you." Reid whispered gently. "Back at Quantico."

"That's okay." Hotch smiled and pushed a loose strand of hair from Reid's face.

"…You're a good man, Hotch. A really good man."

* * *

Hotch felt something strange as he awoke to the sound of his phone vibrating. He reached over and shut off the alarm, feeling something slide on his bare chest. He turned out to see a slender arm leading from a slender body to a slender hand placed on his chest. It sent a spark through him. He tried to ignore the urge to kiss Reid, knowing it would be the worst thing he could do at that moment. However, he could not control his hand as it reached up and held Reid's tightly against his chest.

He smiled to himself and took a deep breath. He sat himself up and shook Reid gently. "Reid, it's time to wake up." He said. Reid mewed and pulled closer, curling around Hotch's lower body. Hotch blushed and shook him. "Reid, time to get up."

Reid yawned and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and smiled sleepily. "Mkay, Hotch." He greeted lazily, crawling out of bed. His shirt bunched up, showing his toned, slim stomach. Hotch averted his eyes, trying to keep from staring at the young man. He stared down at the quilt instead, listening to Reid's socked feet as he moved towards the bathroom.

He heard the water running and stood up, getting dressed. He pulled on his clothes and went into the living room, sitting down and looked through the case files for about the hundredth time that trip. Just hoping to catch something they hadn't before. Unfortunately, without coffee, nothing seemed to want to come to him. He heard a buzzing and glanced at his phone. Wasn't his. He looked up and saw Reid's on the table near the chair from the previous night. He glanced towards the bedroom door and stood. He picked up the cell and looked at it. The caller ID said Jonathan.

He had the strongest urge to flip it open and whip the asshole a good one. His fury reached a new height it never had before and it was all he could do to keep himself from letting it go to his logic. Reid's boyfriend didn't know he was rooming with another man and if Hotch answered, even casually, it would flare up Jonathan's temper which would end badly for Reid. The idea of Reid suffering further cooled Hotch's temper. He took a deep breath and tossed the phone into the chair, letting the call go to voicemail.

Maybe Hotch could use his extensive connections within the system to get the bastard demoted to claims adjuster in, say, California? An entire cross-country away from Virginia and away from Reid. While Hotch planned sweet revenge, Reid walked in, slipping on his sweater aver his collared shirt. He smiled sleepily up at Hotch and with a yawn, "I'm ready to go."

Hotch smiled back and handed Reid his cell phone. The agent glanced at his missed calls and swallowed nervously. He stood frozen in place staring at his phone. Hotch could see the gears turning in the genius's head as he decided whether to return the call or not. Finally, he clutched the phone to his chest and looked up at Hotch with wide, pleading eyes. "Tell me I'm working. Right now, tell me I have to be working."

Hotch raised an eyebrow at the request and hesitated. He wasn't sure what it was for, but he stated, as requested, "You're working."

Reid smiled, "Then I can't answer personal calls." He tucked his phone away and turned, looking up at Hotch smiling. "Let's go get some breakfast."

* * *

Over three thousand miles away, a tall, muscled figure sat in his office, fuming as his brilliant blue eyes glared down at his office phone. He resisted the urge to scream as he hung up. _Why isn't Reid answering his fucking phone?_ He thought furiously. _That disobedient, disloyal, little-._

His secretary walked in, placing files on his desk, and breaking through his train of thoughts. He felt a light bulb go off in his head. "Nancy, can you patch me through to my brother-in-law?"

"The one in Pennsylvania?"

"No, the one in Alaska."

* * *

**Chapter 3- End**

**TBC**

**BUM BUM BUM BUUUM!**

**Quick question, in America do you all have nightcaps? Or is that just a British thing?**

**The three thousand miles thing, I typed it into googlemaps and it said like 3,900 something, so yeah... I'm sticking with it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**New Chapter ya'll!**

**Told you it would get more mature.**

* * *

They all sat, ready to eat their breakfasts that had just been placed in front of each of them. Reid's eyes widened at the large stack of pancakes and looked up at Hotch, who had insisted on ordering for him. The older man ignored the disbelieving look and went to eating his more modest sausage and biscuits. The younger man just started eating, thinking to himself, _There is no where I'll be able to eat all this._

Morgan cracked a joke about Reid needing skin on his bones just as Officer Jake walked in, looked around, and hurried to their table. "Sorry to interrupt, but another body was found."

* * *

Hotch trekked into the brush as they made their ways toward the crowd of officers surrounding the crime scene. Morgan was right behind him, Prentiss and Reid had been sent with the scouting team to check the perimeter. Officer Clark was talking to his deputy as Hotch approached. Clark rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly agitated at something that was said and turned to Hotch, sighing. "Well, we know who it is." He informed, glancing down at the notes in his hands. "Mr. Drew Knight." He said, bring his eyes up to look at Hotch. "Fresh out of university and leaving for a job offer in Vancouver. His boyfriend called in telling us he'd gone missing."

Hotch nodded and looked over at the forensics team as they collected evidence around the remains of a dismembered, disemboweled corpse. Blood was everywhere. There was no drag sight. "Looked like he was killed out here," Hotch thought looking around. _Alone with his killer._

"Yes, same general area as the last victims, and-." Clark was interrupted by the sounds of a struggle that came from the direction of the road.

"Damnit, Jake!" They turned to see Officer Jake trying to hold a brunette boy at bay. He was in his early twenties, thin and looked panicked and annoyed. Jake tried holding him back, but the boy broke passed and sprinted towards the crowd. A couple of officers caught him before he could run onto the crime scene. "Clark, is that him?"

Hotch glanced at Clark who was staring at Jake as he huffed and puffed after the boy. Clark sighed and glanced at Hotch and moved towards the struggle. "It's okay boys, I'll take it from here." The two officers let Clark take the boy away. He put a supportive arm around his thin shoulders and spoke to him briefly. Hotch realized this was the boyfriend that had reported Drew missing, and his suspicions were confirmed when he heard the boy scream in horror and break down into tears.

Hotch rubbed the bridge of his nose, knowing this case was not going to get any easier. His thoughts were confirmed when he heard Reid call, "Hotch! We found another one!"

* * *

The team sat with the two latest victim's profiles and pictures on the white board. Drew Knight was a good looking man with blonde hair, lean and tall. The second was a Kevin Mitchells, twenty-five year old with brown hair who had been working the passed two years and had been given a promotion in Montreal.

Reid chewed his lip and ran his fingers through his messy, brown hair. "Well, it seems like all the victims were going away with their respected boyfriends, either for pleasure or work, but all to start new lives together. It's almost like our unsub wants to keep them from being together."

"You don't think it's a hate crime, do you?" JJ asked, looking at Reid shocked.

"I do, but not towards homosexual men. I thinks it's towards the specific men he kills."

"Let's ask Clark if he knows anyone who hated any of them." Morgan suggested. "And ask Garcia if she can find anyone charged of a hate crime in town. The crime doesn't have to have occurred in Alaska. Some of the victims weren't from here, so maybe the unsub isn't either." Hotch confirmed and stood up to go into Clark's office.

Reid watched Hotch leave with a bout of apprehension.

* * *

Hotch knock on the door to the Chief's office. "Come in!" He was allowed in and opened the door to see Clark on the phone. He held up a finger, asking for a minute. "Well than nothing seems to be stopping you. I'll let Elle know your on your way. Well, it's a good thing we like you then, isn't it? Okay, gotta go. Okay, see you then, bye." He hung up and shook his head, a faint, amused smile on his lip. "My brother-in-law's heading into town. Already at his first transfer. Anyways, what can I do for you?"

"Can you think of anyone who had a hate for homosexuals? A violent one?" Hotch asked, getting straight to the point.

Clark pondered the question a bit. "No, not really." He informed, thinking it over. "There were some that were uncomfortable with it, but there has never been a hate crime since I've been sheriff."

"I see. Well, do you know of any domestic disturbances with any of the victim's? Maybe with past boyfriends?"

Clark thought it over and shook his head. "None that I can think of off the top of my head, but I'll look through the files and see if I find anything." He offered, looking up at Hotch carefully.

Hotch nodded and thanked him and went back to the team's set up as Morgan hung up the phone with, "Thanks, Baby Girl." He turned to Hotch and informed him, "Garcia's looking through the names of those in town and the victims for anything that sticks out."

"Hotch, I think we might have to do an undercover job." Prentiss offered, looking up at their leader. "I mean, he killed two this time around, I think our unsub's starting to spiral."

Hotch pondered this. He glanced around the room and saw Reid, reading through one of the files. The young genius was the only one that fit the victimology and Hotch felt a bout of panic. After learning what Reid had been suffering the past few months, he was hesitant to let the young man put himself in such danger.

Of course, they were at a stand still. Tomorrow was Friday night, a good chance for the unsub to take another victim.

"Hotch," the supervisory agent was surprised to hear Reid's tentative voice breaking through his chain of thoughts. "I know I'm the only one that fits the victimology. I'm willing to be the bait." He offered a small smile up at him.

Hotch took a deep breath. "Alright Reid, if this station doesn't already have an undercover sector or a volunteer for us, we'll send you out tomorrow night."

* * *

The team went over the files and tweaked the profile a bit. It was possible the unsub had been hurt, or cheated on, by someone that fit the description of the victims and was taking it out on anyone who reminded him of his pain. They asked Garcia to look through the earlier victims and see if there was a connection between them.

They asked the deputy who was in charge while Clark went to pick up his brother-in-law at the airport if they had someone who could go undercover. Being in such a small town, the need had never risen so there was no one experienced to go. To Hotch's dismay, that meant that Reid would have to go in.

They went through a plan. Prentiss and Morgan were to be taking out Reid for a small bit of celebration for a job offer he had received from far away. Reid was to decide on what felt natural to him, and if anyone came up to talk to him he was to play the loyal boyfriend. Reid had asked who his boyfriend was supposed to be, Hotch knowing he didn't want it to be Jonathon.

"Make one up." Morgan said with a shrug. Hotch rolled his eyes.

Reid blushed bright red and looked up at Hotch. "Can I say it's you?" He asked, sheepishly.

Hotch controlled his own blush and nodded tersely, not sure how else to respond.

It was near midnight when Hotch told the team to go get some sleep. He stayed to let Clark know what they were planning.

* * *

Reid said good night to the others and watched as they headed for their Cabins. He never noticed how far away each one was. The Cabins were reasonably spaced individually, but the fact that there was another cabin in between frayed Reid's nerves. He shook his head laughing at himself. Nothing bad could happen to him tonight. When he went undercover maybe, but not tonight.

He unlocked the door to his cabin and entered, shutting and locking the door behind him. He sighed and cut the entrance hall light on and made his way straight to the bedroom. Sleep sounded wonderful right now. He unbuckled his belt and placed it on the dresser near the door. He pulled off his sweater and stretched and started to unbutton his shirt.

"Hello, Spencer."

Reid froze as he heard the floor boards creak behind him. The voice sent a chill down his spine. Panic began to build up inside him. Fear triggered his fight or flight response and he turned around to see the familiar dark brown haired, blue eyed man. He swallowed, his hands beginning to shake. "H-Hi, Jonathon." He squeaked trying to smile; trying to pretend he was happy to see his boyfriend. "W-What are y-you doing here?"

The man smiled and leaned in capturing Reid's lips. He pulled away and flashed a smile. "I came to see you. I missed you." He took Reid's hand, lacing their fingers together. "You wouldn't answer my calls. I started to get worried."

Reid swallowed and let his mind race, hoping he could think of a way to stall until Hotch came in. "I was working. I couldn't take personal calls."

"Oh," Jonathon smiled and pulled Reid closer. "Well, your not working now." He claimed Reid's lips again. The young man tried to return it, but it was hard to kiss someone you didn't want to. "Take off your clothes."

Reid's body went rigid at the harsh growl. He swallowed and pulled back, looking at his boyfriend's face. He was glaring dangerously into Reid's. "W-What?"

"Did I fucking stutter? Take _off_," he shoved Reid onto the bed, "your clothes."

Reid's big brown eyes were hollowed in fear as Jonathon stared him down. The larger man gave a short laugh and whipped around, heading towards the door. He stopped at the dresser and pulled the gun out of the holster on Reid's belt and pointed it at its owner. "Take them off."

Reid swallowed and started unbuttoning his shirt with trembling fingers, slowly revealing his lean chest and stomach to his assaulter. _Please Hotch, hurry._ He pleaded in his head.

_SMACK_

The harsh sound accompanied the sharp pain in Reid's cheek. He gasped as Jonathan shouted, "faster," after slapping him hard across the face.

Reid quickly pulled off his shirt and started taking off his pants. Soon he sat bare on the bed, his boyfriend straddling him, shoving him to lay on his back. "P-Please, J-Jonathan, not here." He pleaded, closing his eyes as the other man kissed his collarbone.

"Shut the fuck up." Jonathon snarled, sinking his teeth into Reid's shoulder making him whimper pitifully. Reid sniffled and heard the clanking of chains and looked up to see handcuffs dangling before his face. Before he could protest, Jonathon fliped him on to his stomach, yanking both of Reid's arms, pinning them painfully and cuffing them. Reid felt fingers in his hair and yelped as he was yanked to his knees.

"Good boy." Jonathon whispered, licking Reid's ears. Reid sniffled, tears trickling down his cheeks. The bigger man forced Reid to turn around and smiled the ugliest smile Reid had ever seen. He froze when he heard Jonathon undo his belt and pants. He didn't have to look down to know he was pulling his member out of his boxers. "Suck on it."

Reid shook his head. "P-please, don't make me." He hated how pathetic he sounded, but he didn't want to do it. He would do anything to not have to do it. "Please."

Jonathon rolled his eyes and shoved Reid's head down, his cock brushing Reid's lips and cheeks, leaving a trail of pre-cum. Reid kept his lips shut, but couldn't stop a gasp as he felt the cold metal of the gun tip on the back of his neck. Jonathon took the opportunity, shoving his cock into Reid's mouth.

Reid tensed up as did Jonathon at the sound of keys in the front door. _Hotch!_ He thought gratefully. He yelped as his boyfriend yanked Reid's head up be his hair and shoved him in front of him, using him as a shield. Reid couldn't help himself, "Hotch!" He cried desperately, receiving another yank on his hair.

"Shut up. Who is that?" Jonathon growled in Reid's ear, sending tremors up his spine.

"M-My boss." Reid whimpered as he heard the door open and close.

"Reid?" He heard the hesitation in Hotch's voice and knew he was pulling out his gun.

"You really are a whore, aren't ya?" Jonathan snarled, placing the tip of the gun to Reid's temple the chill making him gasp again. "Showing yourself like this to your boss." The harshness was still in his whisper but it also sounded amused.

* * *

Hotch walked in and immediately pointed his gun towards them and growled, "Let Reid go." He recognized Jonathon and felt a rage course through them. If only he had a clear shot. He'd show him what rewards he gets for hurting his Reid; a bullet between the eyes.

"Put the weapon down agent." Jonathon demanded smile, cocking the gun, his finger on the trigger. " Or I put a bullet through his precious brains. He means more to you than he does me. I wouldn't mind killing this fucking brat."

Hotch saw the hurt in Reid's eyes, but knew he had few options to get revenge. If he shot, he could hit Reid. If he didn't do as the jackass said, Reid could get shot. He felt the ankle holster against his leg and slowly bent down, commenting himself for deciding to wear it today. "Good choice, SSA Hotchner."

Reid yelped as he was shoved into the bed, the gun still pointed to him. "Now be a good agent and enjoy the show." He pinned Reid onto his stomach, pressing his fear engraved face into his cock. Reid sniffled and opened his mouth reluctantly, fearing the man would turn his gun on Hotch if he didn't submit.

The gun shot that sounded made him scream. A deep voice shouted in pain and Reid panicked. _Hotch…?_

He sat up to hear the sound of metal hitting the hard wood floors. He looked up to see blood spurting from Jonathon's shoulder. He pulled away and felt a firm hand on his back and turned around to see Hotch with a small handgun in his hand. "Reid are you okay?" He asked, looking earnestly into Reid's face.

The young man could only nod, the confusion disappearing.

Hotch quickly pulled out his handcuffs and cuffed Jonathon's hands behind his back. The lawyer yelped in pain, the bullet still lodged in his bleeding shoulder. Hotch pushed him to the floor, enjoying the pain in the asshole's face before he flipped him onto his front. He sat up and looked at Reid's terrified expression.

"Reid, come here." He whispered tenderly, wrapping his arms around Reid and unlocking his arms. Reid sniffled and rubbed his wrists a little. He looked up at Hotch's worried expression and immediately wrapped his arms around Hotch's neck, hugging onto him tightly. Hotch returned the embraces, rubbing his bare back soothingly. "Shh, it's okay. I got you. You're safe now."

"H-Hotch." He sobbed, burying his face into Hotch's necks crying. Hotch kept an arm wrapped around Reid's body and pulled out his cell phone and called Morgan for back up. He told him what had happened and let him know he needed someone to take the bastard to the station.

He hung up the phone and held onto Reid tightly, trying to calm him down. Jonathan scuffled on the floor, struggling against his restraints. "Fucking whore!" He finally glared up and shouted at Reid.

The young man just held tightly onto Hotch, clawing into his jacket, hiding his face in Hotch's should. Hotch rubbed Reid's bare back soothingly, glaring down at the scum he had left on the floor. "H-Hotch, c-can I-." The words were stopped by the sound of footsteps outside heading for the Cabin. Reid looked horrified at the thought of being exposed to anyone further. Hotch quickly carried him into the bathroom where Reid's pajamas had been left that morning. Reid thanked him, reluctantly releasing his hold on him, and Hotch smiled, shutting the door.

* * *

"Shut up!" Morgan snapped, shoving Jonathon into the back of their SUV. He slammed the door in his captive's face and turned to look at Hotch. His anger was gone and he looked concerned. "Is Reid okay? Does he need a doctor or a hospital?" Hotch didn't need to be a profiler to know Morgan was worried that Reid had been raped.

"Luckily, I got here before it came to that." Hotch said, glancing back at the Cabin. He sighed and looked back at the SUV where Jonathon was still struggling. "Get him out of my sight."

Morgan nodded and got into the SUV and drove off. Hotch cursed his quick shot, wishing he had had time to aim in between the man's eyes. He sighed again and made his way back into the Cabin, locking the door behind him. "Reid?" He called, moving deeper into the Cabin.

Reid poked his head out from the bedroom door wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants. He waved shyly at Hotch who walked over to him. His face was rosy, but it didn't look like it was tear stained anymore. "Are you alright?"

Reid nodded and pressed close to Hotch, still looking frightened. "I just washed my face." More like scrubbed it raw, but details didn't need to be shared. "Hotch? Is he really gone?"

"Yes, Morgan took him away." Hotch said, bringing Reid into the living room, sitting him down on the couch. He started a fire, letting the light and warmth blaze at them. He sat beside Reid and hesitated. He knew Reid wanted to be held, but wasn't sure if he should touch him.

"Hotch? I-I know it's inappropriate, b-but," Reid looked down, messing with his sleeves, hesitating. He swallowed and blinked up at Hotch. "W-Will you hold me, again?"

Hotch smiled and opened his arms up and let Reid crawl into his lap, curling up into the embrace. He pressed into the warmth that Hotch's chest gave him; the warmth, the safety. He felt Hotch's strong arms wrap around him and he closed his eyes, knowing he was in the hold of someone he could _actually_ trust. Tears trickled down his face. He took a deep breath and smiled to himself.

* * *

The morning lit up the Cabins. Hotch's phone buzzed against his leg. He reached down and shut off his alarm, yawning. He felt a pressure against his body and looked around, seeing the dying embers in the fireplace. He was lying on the couch, his legs entwined in Reid's as the young man rested against Hotch's body. The older man had his arms wrapped around the slender body. He felt content having Reid so close to him.

"Mm, Hotch?" Reid's eyes fluttered open. He looked up and Hotch smiled.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." Reid smiled and untangled himself from Hotch and they sat up, stretching. Reid rubbed his eyes and looked up at Hotch. "It's weird."

"What is?"

"Last night. It feels like a dream yet I feel like… I'm free." He looked up at Hotch and his smile did not waver. "Am I really free Hotch?"

"Yes, Reid," Hotch heard himself say, happy to see the other man give a real smile for the first time in so long. "You don't have to worry about that man ever again. You can have a new start."

Reid smiled. "Thank you, Hotch. You really are a good man."

Hotch smiled back. A spark fired him up. "Reid, are you ready for tonight? Do you think you can handle it after last night?" He was concerned about Reid's emotional state after the night's confrontation.

The younger man paused and thought about it. He was still scarred from the past few months, but surprisingly not last night. He knew that he could handle himself as long as he left his gun on him this time. He looked up at Hotch and nodded. "Bring it on."

* * *

**Chapter 4-End**

**TBC**

**Well, there goes Jonathon.**

**This was another hard one to write because I was watching Criminal Minds and felt guilty about what I made Reid do.**

**It turned to the episode where Foyet hurts Hotch... I can't watch that episode... makes me sad.**


	5. Chapter 5

**HA! NOW I CAN SAY IT! Two Chapters in ONE day... HA!**

* * *

Reid sighed softly as he placed the wire on and stuck the wireless bud in his ear. He looked up at Hotch and saw worry in his dark eyes. He couldn't help but smile, feeling strangely happy at being the object of the man's attention. "Hotch, I'll be okay," he reassured, bringing his smile up as he looked at Hotch.

Hotch smiled and ruffled Reid's hair, making the smile almost look childlike. "I know," he whispered, feeling a hand grab his heart and strangle it. He knew Morgan would be there in case things took a bad turn, but he was still worried about exposing Reid to a killer. He was afraid it would turn into the Tobias Hankel incident.

There was a knock on the door and Morgan was standing there, dressed for a night on the town. Prentiss was standing behind him, also dressed for partying. "Ready to go?" He asked, looking at Reid who was dressed in his idea of night-on-the-town attire.

Reid took a deep breath and nodded. "Just give me a minute, I'll be right there," He informed, standing up. Morgan nodded and met up with Prentiss. Reid looked up at Hotch, smiling. "See ya."

"See you." Hotch smiled back.

"Well?"

Hotch paused and looked at Reid uncertainly. "Well, what?"

Reid scoffed. "I don't get a goodbye kiss? You're my boyfriend, remember?" Reid said smiling jokingly. He could crack a none-science joke once in a blue moon. He didn't actually expect such a thing, not even a hug really. He was surprised when Hotch planted a kiss on his cheek. Reid flushed, his face turning bright red as he felt Hotch's lips leave his skin.

"Come back to me, safe and sound, Spencer."

Reid hurried out the door with Morgan and Prentiss and Hotch leaned on the door frame, watching them disappear, smiling like the triumphant cat that had yet to be caught in the canary cage. "Makes one almost feel like a father when things work out, huh?" Hotch turned to Clark as the officer spoke, leaning against the wall beside the FBI agent. "A proud father."

"Almost." Hotch agreed looking around the station. For a small town police force he could see the man's feelings. He felt like a father sometimes with his own team, but when it came to one doctor, he held little of such feelings. At one time he thought of his relationship towards Reid as the father the boy had never known, but in recent light he felt different; recent as in the passed year. He wanted Reid for his own.

"We're certainly a family here." Clark said, nodding.

"Where's Officer Jake?" Hotch asked. The past few days he had familiarized himself with the station and the faces, having seen them all everyday since their arrival. The young officer was no where in his sights.

"Sent him home. This case has taken a real toll on him." Clark sighed sadly, shaking his head. "He's been trying to get over his boyfriend's death using work as a distraction, but I can tell it's been too much on him."

* * *

The Sun Drop was a bar just down the main road from the police station and the only real adult hangout in town. It was also where most of victims had disappeared from. Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid entered, putting on the act of a congratulatory party. Morgan pulled Reid to the bar and got him a drink.

"Thanks," Reid said smiling, Morgan saluted him and went to find Prentiss. Reid sat, staring at the alcoholic beverage before him. He pretended to drink it, but refused to have the swill pass his lips. "Hotch? Can you hear me?" He whispered, checking the wire to make sure the wireless signal reached where he was.

"Yea, Reid." He heard in his head, the ear piece giving him the man's voice. He smiled to himself, knowing Hotch was still with him.

"Oh, hey Agent." Reid looked up to see Officer Jake sitting beside him with a scotch before him.

"Hi, Officer," Reid greeted politely, smiling.

"Jake, please," the Officer said turning to face Reid.

"Spencer, or Reid, whichever." Reid offered, taking another pretend drink.

"I thought you all were working on the case still? What are you doing here?" Jake asked, seeing the other two Agents on the dance floor.

"Hotch let us come out for a celebration. I got a job offer in Britain." Reid announced smiling widely. If the killer was nearby, he had to keep up his masquerade. "I decided it was an offer I couldn't refuse."

"Oh, good for you! So, I'm guessing this will be your last case." Jake said congratulating him with a pat on the back.

"I suppose so."

"Anyone going with you to England?" Jake asked, "Or are you leaving a few broken hearts." He winked at him playfully.

"Well, I haven't really told my boyfriend yet. Well, I mean I told him, but we haven't been able to talk about it really." Reid confessed, looking down sheepishly.

"Boyfriend? Oh because you've been away."

"Not exactly." Reid said looking around, as though expecting an eavesdropper. "I shouldn't tell you this, but my boyfriend's, well, Hotch."

"Really!"

* * *

Hotch fought down the blush that threatened to heat up his face. He and Clark listened to their men's conversations. JJ was with them, but a phone call from Garcia had pulled her away.

"Hey, Garcia, what's up." JJ said, glancing back at the listening station, waiting for something to happen.

"Well, I looked into the first few victims and besides there looks, only the first two had a substantial connection." Garcia informed from her tech center, windows popping up on the screen with reports and pictures. "Turns out the first victim had been a very naughty boy."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the man he was dating when he died was stemmed off from an affair. Justin Kingsleigh had had a domestic dispute between him and his ex about six years ago at their cabin; which was in the woods he was found dead in. Turns out Justin had cheated on him for the man he was with when he died. With as in getting it on with."

"Thank you, Garcia."

"Sorry." She smiled and continued, "He has a connection with Kyle because Kyle's boyfriend was Justin's ex."

JJ paused, recalling their first day in the police station, "you mean…?"

"That's right, a one Officer Jake Lial."

* * *

"Well you two must really care about each other." Jake said, his smile disappearing as he looked at Reid. "Must be a nice relationship. Both understanding each others' work."

The agent nodded and offered a small, sheepish smile. "Been together almost four years and I love him. Love him with all my heart."

"Then why are you flirting with me."

Reid froze, at the harshness that had suddenly taken over the other man's tone. A spark of realization going off in his head. "E-Excuse me?"

"Why are you flirting with me if you're in such a committed relationship with your boss?" Jake snarled, glaring frighteningly at Reid. It reminded the young agent too much of Jonathon.

* * *

"Hotch." JJ hurried to the listening station, grabbing the chair, her eyes shining with fear. "You have to pull Reid out of there. It's Jake." She could barely finish before Hotch switched to Morgan's ear piece, demanding him to pay attention.

"We've got him."

* * *

"I-I'm not flirting. W-We're just having a conversation. Or I thought we were." Reid stammered surprised by the turn his talk with Jake had taken. However, he understood what was going on. Jake was the killer.

"You think I'm stupid, huh, Dr. Reid?" He emphasized the doctor with a mocking tone. "You're a cheating slut. I bet you cheated on your last boyfriend before you got it on with your boss."

"Excuse me!" Reid stood up, becoming uncontrollably furious. He had never been accused of being disloyal. He had never been so insulted. Not even Jonathon called him a cheating slut. The man had called him a whore the previous night, but he never accused him of having an affair. Reid knew he was in the presence of a killer, but that did not mean he had to take being insulted by him. He snatched the glass of his drink and tossed the contents into Jake's face.

It could not have been the worse thing he could do as a reaction, but it was certainly a trigger. Jake launched off his bar stool, shoving Reid onto the floor, pinning him down. He raised his fist in the air, but before he could smash it into Reid's face, Morgan was on the scene, yanking Jake off of Reid. He handcuffed Jake and started telling him his rights, but received a snarling, "Shut the fuck up."

Reid sat up, rubbing the back of his head, watching as Morgan shoved the offender out of the bar. He took a deep breath, his rage still bubbling over.

"Spencer?" Reid paused, relaxing at the sound of Hotch's worried voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm alright now."

* * *

**Chapter 5- End**

**TBC**

**I'm gonna make an epilogue and you all will want to read it because it will have HOTCH AND REID CUTENESS!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here it is! The final chapter! The epilogue!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Hotch folded his clothes, leaving out what he planned to wear on the way home. He packed up everything he did not plan to use the following morning. He had gotten a shower, now clad in only his boxers and a t-shirt. He put away his shampoo and soap and left out his toothbrush and paste. He stretched and turned, seeing Reid sitting on the bed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. He saw that the younger man had not done the same, which was odd because he normally did.

Reid sighed softly, his arms held close against his body, hugging himself. He looked so broken, it tore Hotch's to pieces. "R- Spencer?" He watched Reid tense up. "What's wrong?"

Reid simply shook his head and kept his body turned away. Hotch opened his mouth, but before he could ask anything further, Reid abruptly turned around looking up at him. "Hotch? Can I ask you something?"

Hotch hesitated briefly, feeling his heart skip a beat. He took a deep breath and, crawled into the bed beside him. "Sure, what is it?"

The younger man looked down, his eyelashes framing the sadness in his eyes. He rubbed his arm and took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Is wanting comfort… wrong?" He asked, looking up at Hotch through his long lashes.

The agent froze. Hotch had not been expecting it. He didn't know what he _was_ expecting but a fleeting flash of desire had hoped it would be, would you wanna do something together when we got back? He shoved the question away and looked back at Reid. "No, it's perfectly natural to want to be comforted under duress. You should know that."

Reid shrugged and traced random patterns into the quilt. "It wouldn't make me a whore, would it?" His voice was so soft and uncertain, Hotch couldn't stop himself from putting a supportive hand on Reid's shoulder. The boy's bright brown eyes met Hotch's and he could feel the intensity radiating from them. It almost made him shiver.

"No, Spencer, it doesn't." Hotch whispered, looking earnestly into Reid's eyes. He controlled his rage the best he could as it sent a shockwave through his veins. He cursed himself for not putting a bullet between Jonathon's eyes before he ever got the chance to hurt Reid. "Don't listen to anything he ever said or ever called you. You are a brilliant, beautiful young man. You'll find someone who'll see that and treat you right."

"Hotch." Reid's voice cracked, heavy with emotion. "W-Will you hold me, p-please?"

Hotch nodded, sliding his arms tightly around Reid's body. He was trembling. Hotch pulled him in as close as he could into his chest, burying his face into Reid's hair. "Spencer, I want you to know that you'll always have someone to hold you. To comfort you. Whenever you need it, just ask me, okay?"

Reid nodded and hid his face in the fabric of Hotch's shirt. "Hotch, you don't think I'm a cheating slut, d-."

"How can you ask such a thing?" Hotch interrupted, shushing him. Reid tensed up, but relaxed as the older man stroked his hair. "You are not."

Reid pressed into Hotch's hold. A faint smile on his lips. He could feel Hotch's heart beat against his own. Their pulses melting together. Their bodies merged together as though one sharing each breath they took. Life was beautiful and light. Reid felt no darkness. He felt happy and wonderful. Hotch was holding him. He only wished Hotch was his.

* * *

Soft lips brushed his collar bone. A moan escaped his lips. Tender kisses against his skin induced him to shiver in pleasure. He bit back another moan. He pressed the other's body against the wall, pressing their hips firmly against one another. The other's soft voice moaned uncontrollably. Hotch pinned the slender hands to the wall above his lover's head, kissing roughly. Their movements were one as they kissed and pressed into one another.

Hotch had had sex dreams before, when his hormones were off the charts, but they had been with the generic idea of his perfect girlfriend when he was young. Or of Hailey when he had been dating her. His lover before this, however, never had messy brown hair that shined against the light, or bright beautiful brown eyes that blinked up at him full of lust, adoration, and… love.

He slipped his tongue in the willing mouth, kissing the reddened, over kissed lips. "Air." The other's voice whispered, whispy and full of emotion and yearning. Even though the other's voice was barely there, Hotch recognized it perfectly. He recognized _everything _perfectly; the soft hair, the sweet brown eyes that looked up at his with such strong desire, the slender frame that fit so perfectly against his body.

It was Reid.

"More, please." Reid begged, grinding his hips and hardening cock against Hotch's, making his brain stop, letting his instincts and his heart take over. He kissed the boy's skin, sending pleasure from his neck all over his body. Breathy pants filled the room. Their troublesome clothes. It drew Hotch crazy. He wanted to take Reid so bad.

Reid gasped as his shirt was thrown from his body, Hotch's lips moving down his chest and going to his lower stomach. He stopped just at the waistline of Reid's jeans and went back up teasingly slow, stopping level with the boy's erect nipples. He took one into his mouth and sucked fiercely. Reid cried put, thrusting his hips and hardened dick against Hotch's body. "Aaron!" His voice was heavy with lust.

Then they were on the bed. Naked. Hotch's fingers deep inside Reid's lithe body, thrusting in and out making the boy squirm and beg for Hotch's already throbbing cock. "Aaron, please. Please. Oh god!" He moaned, thrusting back to meet the intruding fingers. His back was arched off the bed. It was the most beautiful sight Hotch had ever seen.

Hotch's mind was hazy, the sounds of Reid's pleads breaking through to fuel a fire burning in him making him imagine pounding deep inside Reid's body. Then his fantasy came alive; the boy's long slender legs were wrapped firmly around his waist, Hotch's member inside Reid's tight ring of heat, sliding in and out, taking the boy as he cried out in pleasure, clawing into the Hotch's back.

* * *

Hotch's eyes popped opened. He felt his boxers wet around his softened cock. He blushed bright red, his dream having made him come. He took deep breaths, sweat trickling down from his hair line. He pushed the remnants of his dream from his mind and looked down, seeing a familiar tangle of brown hair.

Reid breathed evenly against him, his body pressed into Hotch's side. A long slender arm nestled around Hotch's waist. Reid had his head rested on the man's firm chest. Long legs entwined in Hotch's leg's tangling them together. Hotch blushed and turned his head away. He hoped Reid had no idea about his wet dream.

He removed himself from Reid, somewhat reluctantly. He dug through his bag and grabbed a pair of clean boxers. He changed and looked back at the bed longingly, Reid having taken up his side of the bed. He shook his head and crawled in on Reid's original side and slid his arms around the young man's waist. He had a feeling the he wanted to be held and truth be told, Hotch loved being so close to him. Reid mewled softly and pressed his back into Hotch's chest, their body's pressed wholly against one another. Their legs entangling into one another. Faint smiles on their lips.

* * *

"I'm gonna go grab the jackass." Morgan said as he finished throwing his and Garcia's stuff in the back of the SUV. They had decided to have Jonathan charged in Virginia since most of his crimes had occurred there. Morgan was in charge of getting him on the plane and keeping track of him on the ride home.

"Alright, make sure you keep him far away from Reid." Hotch stated firmly. He hated the idea of having him in the same proximity as his Reid, but there were some things that were unavoidable.

Morgan drove off with Garcia. The dust cleared as Hotch heard a soft, "Too bad we can't afford to have two planes." Hotch turned to see Reid smiling ironically.

"It _is_ too bad." Hotch agreed, seeing the pain behind Reid's smile. "I'll make sure he keeps away from you."

Reid smiled, this time his grin was reaching his eyes. "Thank you."

"Of course."

* * *

Morgan sat at the table with Prentiss, who was reading. Jonathon was seated on the seat near by while Rossi slept on the couch beside them. JJ was seated with JJ, talking to Morgan. Reid sat beside Hotch in the seat behind Morgan.

Jonathon glared at the back of Reid's head most of the trip home. Reid could feel his gaze and tried not to show him fear or weakness. He glanced at Hotch who was typing his report. The young genius tried to busy his focus by reading what was on the screen and following along as more words were entered. It did a good job until Hotch got tired of working and shut off his laptop.

Reid glanced at Jonathon who had fallen asleep, leaning back in his seat. He breathed easier, and looked up at Hotch who had watched him carefully. "You okay?" He asked gently in a whisper.

"Yes, I am now." Reid whispered.

He looked around the plane. Rossi was still asleep. JJ had fallen sound asleep against Prentiss's shoulder. Morgan and Prentiss were in a raging game of poker. "Why not go and play?" Hotch suggested, seeing Reid watching the game.

"No thanks. I'd rather stay here with you." Reid whispered, blushing slightly.

Hotch smiled and slid a hand over Reid's. "Spencer." Reid looked up at Hotch, silent surprise in his eyes at hearing his first name from the other man's lips. "You've had a hard few months and a really hard past few days. Please, promise me one thing."

"Anything, Hotch." Reid stated looking up at him earnestly. "Anything."

"Before you make your next move, before making any decisions, think about it long and hard. When you think you're ready, really ready, to move on, I want you to come and tell me, okay?"

Reid blinked up at Hotch, his brown eyes showing his curiosity. He smiled a little and nodded. He had a feeling Hotch wanted to talk to him about something. Something that would be hard on him under his current emotional stress. He nodded again and smiled a little wider, feeling apprehensive, but excited. "Okay, Hotch. I promise."

He glanced down at their hands still touching and smiled to himself. He leaned back, closing his eyes. He drifted off to sleep, feeling happier than he had in a long time.

Hotch glanced at Reid, seeing the faint smile on his sleeping face. A grin perked on his own lips, and he held Reid's hand tightly in his. Reid's head fell to Hotch's shoulder, the boy soundly sleeping against the other man. Hotch took a deep breath and released it slowly. _I can't wait to have that talk with him._

_

* * *

_

**Hold Me Tight- End**

**That was the end, my friends. Or was it? I'm thinking about doing a sequal to this one.**

**And this was another hard chapter for me to write... being a guy, very _hard_... *blushes***


End file.
